Device for securing doors in closed position



Sept. 15, 1936. J l BYRNE 2,054,191

DEVICE FOR SECURING DOORS IN CLOSED POSITION Filed July 2'7, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l I! mi: 2 J1 I IH' 'HIHIIH INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Julius I. Byrne, Detroit, Mich.

Application July 27, 1931, Serial No. 553,461

13 Claims.

The invention relates to devices for securing doors in closed position and refers more particularly to devices used with relatively wide doors. One of the objects of the invention is to provide means for securing the door in predetermined relation to the member with which it abuts when closed. Another object is to provide means for automatically guiding the door when being closed to its normal plane and to hold the door in this normal plane when it is closed. A further object is to so construct the securing means that it is operable even when the door in open position is distorted from its normal plane, as by reason of wind pressure upon either side of the door.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are transverse sections through a portion of a building having a door with a securing device embodying my invention;

Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views through the door showing the securing device with its parts in different positions;

Figure 5 is an elevation of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a cross section on the line 66 of Figure 3;

Figures 7 and 8 are views similar to Figure 3, showing a modified construction of securing device with its parts in different positions;

Figure 9 is an elevation of Figure 7,

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing another embodiment of my invention.

My invention is applicable to doors of all widths, but is particularly applicable to relatively wide doors and, in the present instance, an airplane hangar door is illustrated, this door having a width suflicient to provide for the passage through the opening closed thereby of an airplane. Such a door, when subjected to wind pressure, may defiect eitherinwardly or outwardly from its normal plane and my device is effective to return and hold the door to its normal plane when the door is closed.

I is the door having the reinforced frame formed with the metallic top and bottom rails 2 The door is movable upportion of its opening movement and the final portion of its closing movement and a tilting movement during the other portions of its opening and closing movements. The door is adapted to be raised by means of the linear members I secured to the door and at the outer side thereof by the clevises 8, which are located intermediate the upper and lower edges of the door and preferably near the center line thereof. As many linear members may be used as required. The end upright rails 4 of the door carry the rollers 5 intermediate the upper and lower edges of the door and located with respect to the clevises 8 to provide operative clearances for these clevises. These rollers are engageable with the jamb guides 6 at the sides of the door opening. The door has secured to its top rail the hangers 9, which are provided with the rollers i 0 for engaging the head guides or tracks having the substantially vertically extending portions l2 at their outer ends and the inclined portions I3 connecting into these portions l2 and also the inclined portions M at their rear ends The arrangement is such that the door in being opened or closed moves as above described.

As shown more particularly in Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, the door has secured thereto securing devices of the required number and spaced longitudinally thereof, these securing devices in the present instance being beneath the points of connection of the linear members i to the door. Each securing device comprises the bolt I5 having at its lower end the rounded nose l6 engageable in the socket ll formed in the plate I 8. This plate I8 is fixedly secured to the floor and might be said to form the sill member.

ID is a guide member fixedly secured to the side of one of the upright rails 4 and having the inner and outer inclined walls 20 and 2|, respectively, which are spaced from each other at both their upper and lower ends with the space between their lower ends greater than that between their upper ends and the latter sufiicient to receive the bolt. 22 is another guide member which is located within the channel-shaped bottom rail 3 and has a transverse opening therethrough sufiicient to provide for the passage of the bolt l5. This guide member 22 is provided with the axially aligned pins 23 on opposite sides thereof which are journalled in the bracket 24 secured to the bottom rail. 25 is a spring having one end secured to the bracket 24 and the other end secured to the guide member 22 and normally exerting a spreading effort tending to hold the guide member 22 at an angle such that the bolt l5 would extend toward and engage the inclined guide wall 2 I. The upper end of this bolt is preferably provided with the roller 23 for engaging this inclined guide wall and also with the shoulder 2l-below the roller.

23 is a weighted arm pivotally mounted at its upper end upon the guide member l3 and having secured to its lower end the weight 29. Secured to the upper end of the weighted arm and movable angularly therewith is the detent member 33 having the detent portions 3| and 32, respectively, above and below the pivot for the weighted arm and engageable with the shoulder 21. The bolt I5 is provided with the shoulder 33 near its lower end and formed in the present instance by means of the pin 34 fixedly secured '1 the bolt, the shoulder being engageable with the sill member to limit the downward movement of the bolt. The bolt is also provided with the shoulder 35 formed in the present instance by means of the transverse pin 33 located at a point between the guide member l3 and the bottom rail 3, this shoulder being engageable with the top of the bottom rail 3.

In operation with the door in closed position and the parts of the closing device in the position shown by the full lines in Figure 3, upon opening movement of the door it is first raised substantially vertically and during this movement the detent portion 3| engages the shoulder 21 and then withdraws the nose It of the bolt from the socket ll of the sill member. During the continued opening movement of the door, it begins to tilt and at this time the weighted arm 28, tending to assume a vertical position, releases the detent portion 3| from the shoulder 21 and the bolt I5 drops downwardly until its shoulder 21 engages the detent portion 32, at which time any further downward movement of the bolt is stopped. The bolt then remains in this position through the remaining opening movement of the door. When the door is being closed and near the final portion of its tilting movement the weighted arm 23 in tending to assume a vertical position releases the detent portion 32 from the shoulder 21 and the bolt I 5 drops downwardly to the position shown in Figure 4 and its nose engages the floor and preferably the plate l3. The spring 25 maintains this position until the nose of the bolt engages the socket l1. Upon continued downward movement of the door, the bolt I 5 rides up against the inclined guide wall 2| and through the opening between this guide wall and the guide wall 23 and assumes a vertical position, thereby compelling the door to assume a predetermined position relative to the sill member and, in the event that the door was distorted as by reason of wind pressure, returning the door to its normal plane. It should be noted that if the door is bowed or deflected or distorted inwardly, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 4, the bolt l5 will slide along upon the floor or sill member and engage the socket substantially immediately after touching, after which the upper end of the bolt engages the guide wall 23 and rides up this guide wall upon continued downward movement of the door. If the door, however, is bowed outwardly, the angle oi' inclination of the bolt relative to the door is such that the bolt engages the socket when the door reaches its normally vertical position. In this connection, the spring 25 has suflicient tension to eflectsliding oi the bolt along the floor until it engages the socket. However, the tension of the spring is such that it permits movement 01' the a bolt without undue force at any position.

In the modification shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9, the securing device comprises the cooperating angularly movable bolts 31 and 33, the upper ends ot'which are connected by the pivots 33 to the depending eyes upon the plate 40, which latter is fixedly secured to the lower side of the web of the bottom rail 4| of the door. These bolts cross each other and are held from accidental disengagement by forming the bolt 31 of the two side bars 42 at opposite sides of the single bar forming the bolt 33 and'by providing the stop 43 between and fixedly secured to the lower ends of the side bars 42 and engageable with the single bar bolt 33 and the stops 44 fixedly secured to and extending transversely from the sides of the lower end portion of the single bar bolt 33 and engageable with the side bars 42. The sill plate 45 is formed with the socket 43 and the lower ends of the bolts 31 and 33 are preferably rounded to slidably engage this socket and to abut the shoulders formed by its end walls.

The socket 43 is so located and arranged with respect to the door that upon lowering the door the lower end of either of the bolts may slide along the socket until it engages a shoulder at the end oi! thesocket, at which time upon continued lowering movement oi-the door, it distorted from its normal plane, the bolt iulcrums upon this shoulder and compels the portion of the door to which it is connected to move relative to and away from this shoulder, so that when the door is completely closed it will be predeterminately positioned relative to the shoulder and also in its normal plane. It will be readily seen that it the door is bowed, deflected or distorted from its normal plane while it is being lowered or closed, the bolt, which is inclined downwardly in the general direction in which the door is bowed, contacts with the shoulder at the end of the socket and straightens out the door, the other bolt merely riding along the bottom of the socket. On the other hand, iLthe door is in its normal plane while being lowered or closed, both bolts ride along the bottom of the socket and one or the other may contact with the shoulders at the ends of the socket, sufilcient clearance between the shoulders being preferably provided so that both bolts will not contact with the shoulders.

Figure.10 shows another embodiment of my invention in which the floor and preferably the metal sill member 41 is provided with the semicylindricai socket 43 for engagement by the semicylindrical bolt 49, which is pivotally connected by the pin 53 to the bracket 5|. This bracket is secured to the lower side of the web 52 of the downwardly opening channel-shaped door bottom rail 53. The arrangement is such that if the door is bowed, deflected or distorted in either direction from its normal plane the bolt 49 upon lowering of the door engages one end of the socket at a point offset laterally and downwardly from the vertical plane passing through the axis of the pivot 53 of the bolt, so that the bolt upon continued downward movement of the door first rotates into the socket and until its rotation is limited by an edge,

a tilting movement during a prior portion and a sill member, of a longitudinally movablev bolt upon said door and engageable with said sill member when said door is being closed to position said door in predetermined relation to said sill member, and means dependent upon the angular position of said door for automatically controlling the disengagement of said bolt from said sill member during the substantially vertical movement of said door when being opened and also for releasing said bolt during the closing movement of said door to engage said sill member.

2. The combination with a door movable downwardly to closed position with a substantially vertical movement during the final portion and a tilting movement during a prior portion and a sill member, of a longitudinally and angularly movable bolt can'ied by said door and engageable with said sill member during the closing movement of said door to guide the same to predetermined position relative to said stationary member, and weighted means carried by said door for automatically controlling the disengagement of said bolt from said sill member during the substantially verticalmovement of said door when being opened and for controlling during the closing movement of said door the longitudinal and angular-movement of said bolt relative to said door.

3. The combination with a door movable downwardly to closed position with a substantially vertical movement during the final portion and a tilting movement during a prior portion and a sill member having a socket, of a longitudinally and angularly movable bolt, a pivoted guide for said bolt upon said door, an inclined guide for said bolt upon said door, a weighted arm carried by said door, and means controlled by said arm for engaging and releasing said bolt.

4. The combination with a door movable downwardly to closed position with a substantially vertical movement during the final portion and a tilting movement during a prior portion, said door having a downwardly opening bottom rail and a sill member having a socket, of an angularly movable guide within and carried by said bottom rail, an inclined guide carried by said door above said bottom rail, a bolt slidablyengaging said guides and having a shoulder at its upper end, a weighted arm pivotally carried by said door, and detent means connected to said arm and having portions engageable with the shoulder of said bolt to control the operation of said bolt during the opening and closing movement of said door.

5. The combination with a door movable to closed position and a member toward which said door is movable when being closed, said member having spaced shoulders, of means for laterally positioning said door in predetermined relation to said shoulders, said means comprising angularly movable members carried by said door, one of said angularly movable members being adapted to engage one of said shoulders and the other of said angularly movable members being adapted to engage the other of said shoulders.

6. The combination with a door movable to a closed position and a stationary member having shoulders spaced from each other transversely of the door, of an angularly movable member carried by and bodily movable relative to said door and engageable with one of the shoulders during movement of the door to closed position to locate the door in predetermined relation to the stationary member and engageable withboth of said shoulders in the closed position of the door to secure the lower edge portion of the latter against lateral displacement relative to the stationary member.

7. The combination with a relatively wide door movable in one direction'to closed position and a stationary member having a socket, of means carried by said door and movable relative thereto, said means cooperating with the socket during the movement of the door to its closed position to guide the door to a predetermined position relative to the stationary member and engageable with the inner and outer side walls of the socket in the closed position of the door to prevent lateral displacement of the lower edge portion of the door relative to the stationary member.

8. The combination with a sill member and a door movable downwardly toward the sill memher to closed position with a substantially vertical movement during the final portion and a tilting movement during a prior portion, of a longitudinally and angularly movable bolt upon the door located between the ends of the latter and engageable with the sill member during the substantially vertical movement of the door to position the door relative to the sill member when the former is closed, and laterally spaced inner and outer shoulders on the sill member engaged by the bolt in the closed position of the door to prevent lateral displacement of the lower edge portion of the door relative to the sill member.

9. The combination with a door movable downwardly to closed position and a sill member, of a longitudinally and angularly movable member carried by the door and engageable and cooperating with the sill member during the downward movement of the door to position the same when closed in predetermined relation to the sill member, and laterally spaced inner and outer shoulders on the sill member engaged by the movable member in the closed position of the door to secure the lower edge portion of the latter against lateral displacement relative to the sill member.

10. The combination with a door movable in one direction to closed position and a stationary member, of means carried by the door and movable relative thereto and cooperating with the stationary member during the closing movement of the door to guide the latter to predetermined position relative to the stationary member, laterally spaced inner and outer shoulders on the stationary member cooperating with the means aforesaid in the closed position of the door to prevent lateral displacement of the lower edge portion of the door relative to the stationary member, and means carried by the door and dependent upon movement thereof to automatically control the action of the first named means.

11. The combination with a door movable downwardly to closed position and a sill member, of cooperating angularly movable bolts carried by said door and engageable wi.h the sill member during the closing movement of the door to position the latter when closed in predetermined relation to the sill member, and laterally spaced inner and outer shoulders upon the sill member respectively engaged by the angularly movable bolts in the closed position of the door to prevent lateral displacement of the lower edge portion of the door relative to the sill member.

12. The combination with a door movable downwardly to closed position and a member having a socket, of a member slidably mounted upon the door for angular movement relative thereto and engageable within said socket, said member cooperating with the opposed inner and outer walls of the socket in the closed position of the door to prevent lateral displacement of the lower edge portion of the door relative to the first named member either inwardly or outwardly.

13. The combination with a door movable vertically to closed position and a stationary member, of a member engageabie with the door and. stationary member and mounted upon the former for vertical sliding movement relative to the door during the closing movement thereof and cooperating with the stationary member to laterally guide the door to a predetermined position relative to the stationary member as the door is lowered. and means fixed relative to the stationary member and engageable with the movable member on the door in the closed position of the latter to prevent lateral displacement of the lower edge portion of the door relative to the stationary member.

JULIUS I. BYRNE. 

